The present invention relates generally to methods of controlling computers using television screens.
Many users watch videos with a computer connected to the Internet. A user can watch video clips or television programs streamed or downloaded into the computer from a video-on-demand server on the Internet. Because the computer screen generally is too small, many people would like to connected the computer with a television and watch those video clips or television programs on a bigger television screen.
FIG. 1 shows that a computer 100 connected to the Internet is controlled by a mouse 160 and transmits an image to a television screen 220. The mouse 160 is connected to the computer 100 through a cable 140. The mouse 160 can control the position of a cursor 150 on a computer screen 120. The computer 100 is connected to the television 200 through a video cable 180. When the position of a cursor 150 on a computer screen 120 changes, the position of a cursor 250 on a television screen 220 changes accordingly.
With the computer and television system as shown in FIG. 1, while a user can watch those video clips or television programs on a big television screen, the user may still need to control the playing mode of the video clips or television programs with the mouse 160 for the computer. The user may like to control the playing mode of the video clips or television programs with a television remote control. More generally, the user may like to control the position of the cursor of the television screen so that the user can also control the download and streaming process of the video clips or television programs. It is desirable to control computers with a television system including a remote control that can directly place a cursor on a television screen at a position as pointed by the user.